Apparatus for the determination of the refraction of the eye



April 19; 1938. R REASON v 2,114,984

APPARATUS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE REFRACTION OF THE EYE Filed Jan. 25, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet a I mvnvm? April 19, 1938. R. E. REASON 2,114,984

APPARATUS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE REFRACTION OF THE EYE I Filed Jan. 23, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 19, 1938 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE REFRACTION OF THE EYE Richard Edmund Reason, Leicester, England, as-

signor to Kapella Limited, Leicester, England Application January 23, 1935, Serial No. 3,055 In Great Britain January 29, 1934 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to apparatus for determining refraction of the eye, of the kind comprising an optical projecting system for forming an image of a target on the patients retina 5 through an eccentric area of the pupil, and an optical system including an objective and an eyepiece for observing the retina and said image, one of the optical systems being adapted for rotation adjustably about an axis so as to permit measurement in any meridian of the eye. The patients head is usually held stationary in a headrest and the apparatus is adjustably movable in all directions transverse to the axis of rotation of the system in order that this axis may be centered in the subjects pupil. In order to ascertain whether the aforesaid axis of rotation is properly centered in the pupil it has been usual to look from outside the instrument at the subjects eye to see where the illuminating beam enters the pupil. But since this illuminating beam is eccentric to the pupil and the (concentric) viewing beam is invisible by reason of its extreme weakness, it has not hitherto been practicable to ascertain that the instrument is sufiiciently centered for all measurements in all meridians without rotating it into at least three positions before making measurements, and this takes time and in the interval the subject is extremely apt to move and so destroy the adjustment. Furthermore, inaccurate centering can introduce serious errors in the measurement when the eye is affiicted, for example, with spherical aberration or astigmatism.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide means by which these difficulties are overcome. I attain the object of my invention by utilizing the image of the pupil formed by the objective of the viewing system and placing between said pupil image and the image of the retina a lens having conjugate focal points in the images respectively, and I provide a field lens adjacent to an image of the pupil for causing light from the edges of the pupilto emerge from the eyepiece. The lens between, and having conjugate focal points in, the two said images may be mounted for motion in or out of the system as required or it may be fixed, in which case it covers only a part of the light beam sufiicient to form a visible image of the pupil, the remainder of the beam being employed to form simultaneously the image of the retina, both images being in the field of the eyepiece.

When the invention is applied to that kind of coincidence refractometer in which an image of the retinal image is divided into two parts and one part is reversed with respect to the other as seen in the field of the eyepiece, the image of the pupil will generally also be divided, and one part reversed with respect to the other, and this confuses the centering operation. To eliminate 5 such confusion we may provide additional means whereby the other part also is reversed.

By an image of the outline of the pupil I mean a sufiicient portion or portions thereof to enable the observer to determine when the axis is cen- 1 tered in the pupil. By a sight I mean any device focussed in the field of view and relatively to which the pupil image can be positioned; for example it may be a dot or a series of concentric circles, or mirrors used to reflect the illuminating 15 beam into the eye. The sight must be so positioned in the system that its image formed by the objective system in the plane occupied by the pupil is there centered on the axis of rotation.

The invention will now be described with ref- 20 erence to the accompanying drawings in which:--

Figure 1 shows a known optical arrangement for measuring the refraction of the eye together with means in accordance with the present invention for enabling the subjects pupil to be 25 observed, Figure 2 shows an arrangement which may be used as an alternative to that shown in Figure 1 for observing the subjects pupil, Figure 3 shows apparatus for measuring the refraction of the eye, which is described in greater detail in my Patent No. 2,049,223, issued July 28, 1936, together with means for observing the pupil, Figures 4 and 5 are part sectional side and end elevational views respectively of apparatus for moving auxiliary lenses into and out of an 0b* 35 serving system such as is shown in Figure 3, Figure 6 shows a modification of the apparatus shown in Figure 3 whereby images of the retina and pupil may be viewed simultaneously, and

Figure '7 shows what is seen through the observ- 4Qv ing system by the observer.

In Figure 1 there is shown a projecting system comprisin elements I to 9 inclusive for forming an image of a target upon the retina, a system comprising elements 4 to I l inclusive for forming 45,

that ghost reflections are deflected to one side of the apparatus.

An image of the retina is formed at the target 6 and the latter can be moved along the axis iii of the observing system so as to adjust the position of focus of the image 3; when this image 8 is accurately in focus on the retina, the target lines and the image thereof at the target are superimposed and the image apparently disappears. The target and the superimposed image thereof are viewed in a microscope comprising an objective lens ll (forming an image of the target and retina at 12) and an eye-piece 13. An image of the pupil of the eye-lens 5 is projected into the plane of the objective H and-illuminating prism 3, the retinal image serving as a source of light. The radius of the projected image of the pupil is somewhat larger than the radius at which the prism 3 is set. The objective H may be cemented to the centre of a glass disc or lens 14, forming a bifocal element Ii-M. Determinations of the refraction of the eye are made by measuring the distance through which the target 6 has to be moved (from that occupied when focused on the retina of a normal eye) in order to bring the image 8 exactly into focus on the retina. I

- Now the light enters the eye through a marginal area of the pupil and it is desirable that the distance of this area from the centre of the pupil should remain constant when the apparatus is rotated, and it is further desirable that the area through which the light enters the eye should be ascertained. The position of the axis of rotation must, therefore, be adjusted so that it passes through the centre of the pupil, and to enable the observer to see when this has been accomplished the eye-piece is moved from the position 13 shown in full lines (where it is used to inspect the retinal image) to the position l3 shown in broken lines.

In the position E3 the components of the eyepiece should be adapted to form an image of the subjects pupil on the objective ll, while in the position l3 the subjects pupil should be imaged on the target 6. The powers of the components are chosen to suit the position 53, and any change in power required to suit the position I3 may be provided by the outer zone of the bifocal lens element -44. The outer zone will thus have no power when the distance moved by the eyepiece is equal to the distance between the members H and 5, and its power will be positive or negative (1. e., collective or dispersive) according to whether the necessary movement of the eyepiece is greater than or less than the separation of the said members.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 2, instead of moving the eye-piece !3 along its axis from the image of the retina to that of the eye-lens, it is kept fixed (except for focusing adjustment) and an auxiliary pupil-sighting lens i5 and a suitable field lens iii are swung into the observing system; the lens i5 is adapted to form an image of the pupil at the position i 2 previously occupied by the image of the retina, so that either of the pupillary or retinal images may be viewed, alternatively, through the single eye-piece E3.

The lenses l5 and i 6 are so positioned and proportioned that the light proceeding from the illuminated area or the retina forms an image of the pupil of suitable size and finally passes through the observers pupil; to assist in centering the image in the eye-piece it, the element 14 may have concentric rings or the like marked there on. Since an enlarged image of the pupil is formed, the pupil-sighting lens i5 is similarly adapted to focus an enlarged image in the eyepiece !3, and the plate or graticule it is mounted at the enlarged image so that the graticule is visible only when the auxiliary lenses are in their operative position. In apparatus where the light forming the retinal image is introduced through a marginal zone of the pupil by means of a prism or the like, (as shown) and particularly where the radius of the Zone may be adjusted by displacing the prism, the auxiliary lenses and the prism are so positioned that, when the lenses are inserted, the prism is seen apparently superimposed on the pupil.

The auxiliary lenses may be mounted ina frame hinged within the apparatus and brought into or out of position by a lever or the like.

Figure 3 illustrates the invention as applied to i the type of instrument for measuring refraction which is described in Patent No. 2,049,223, issued July 28, 1936. In this arrangement light from a source I! is condensed, by lenses I 8 and I9, upon a target 25 in the form of a slit. Light from the slit passes, after reflection at a prism 25 through one or other of two slots (one of which is shown at 22), disposed at right angles so as to form an L, in a plate 23, the slot through. which light passes being selected by a rotatable shutter 24.

The light is then deviated at a reflector 25 and is. focused, by lens 26, to an image 2?, and a further image of 21 is formed by lens 28 and subjects eye-lens 29, at 3!) upon the retina of the subjects eye. The reflector 25 comprises two perpendicularly disposed radial arms arranged so that by adjustment of the shutter 26 light from one arm or other of the target can be reflected atone or other of the arms and thence through either of two marginal areas 90 away from each other on the subjects pupil. The plate 23 can be moved in its own plane along the bisector of the slots whereby the position of the patch of light on the eye-lens 29 may be varied.

The lenses 26 and 28 are arranged with their focal planes at the reflector 25 and the eye-lens 29 respectively so that parallel light passes, between them and an image of the eye-lens 29 is formed coincident with the reflector 25.

The lenses 29 and 28 form an image of the retina at 21 and lens 25 forms an image of 2? at 3!. The light rays forming the image 3i are divided,

partially reversed and observed (in the manner.

described in Patent No. 2,049,223, issued July 28, 1936) with the aid of the parts 32 and M inclusive,

35 being a reversing prism in one of the divided tem within the shaded boundary below the lens 7 28 is mounted for movement along its axis 42 so that the image of the target 21 may be moved towards or away from the lens 28, the projecting system being in no way disturbed by this move-v ment since parallel light passes between the lenses 25 and 28 and lenses I8 and I9. As before, the refraction of the eye is determined by measuring the distance through which the image 2'! of the target has to be moved in order to focus it on the. retina. Measurements in various orientations are achieved by rotating a prism 13 about an axis 44 which is parallel to but offset with respect to axis'42 and which passes through the centre of the eye-lens 29, rotation of this prism having the same effect as if the subjects eye were rotated about its center, whilst the whole optical apparatus were kept fixed.

In order to observe the subjects pupil and align the observing system with respect thereto an auxiliary pupil-sighting lens 45 and a field lens 45 are movable into the observing system. The lens 45 has conjugate focal points at 32 and 25 respectively and the lens it: adjacent to the image of the pupil formed at 32 by the lens 45 has the power necessary to cause light from the edges of the pupil to emerge from the eyepiece 4!. This necessary power is that which in combination with the fixed lens forms an image of the retina in the apertures of the mask 34. When the lens i5 is inserted an image of the retina is formed between 45 and 3B; and the function of the field lens 46 is to modify the power of the field lens 32 so that the retina is again imaged on the apertures 36.- whose image formed by the eyepiece is the exit pupil of the system. The horizontal arm or arms of the reflector 25 are roof-shaped on their upper sides, one face of the arm being polished to reflect light from the target 29 forwards towards the eye, and the other face serving to scatter part of the light passing through the slit 22 backwards towards the eye-piece 40, ll. On looking through the eye-piece with the lenses 35 and is in position, the observer therefore sees (a) the pupil of the eye as a dull red disc 54 illuminated by light scattered back from the retina, (b) the arms of the reflector 25, with which it has to be centered, apparently superimposed in it, and (c) a small bright patch of light 55 on the upper side of one arm which indicates the exact position on the pupil at which the target beam is passing through it; this position can be varied as already described by adjustment of the mask 23. In Fig. 'l, 53 represents the outline of the field of view, which is generally faintly visible; and the cross-hatching denotes the parts of the field that are substantially dark as seen by the observer.

With the last described arrangement the image of the eye-lens is seen partially reversed in the eye piece owing to the action of the reversing prism 35 so that it is still somewhat difficult to,

center the observing system with respect to the eye-lens. This difficulty may be overcome, however, with the aid of the arrangement shown in Figures 4 and 5. As shown in this figure the auxiliary lenses 45 and 65 are mounted in a bracket 31 pivotally mounted in the instrument case 48. In the same bracket is mounted a second reversing prism 49 and a parallel plate of glass Bil. The plate of glass 50 is inserted in the second unreversed beam 3? of Figure 3 when the partially reversed image of the retina is being viewed and is designed to compensate for the change in the length of the light path introduced by the reversing prism 35. When it is desired to view the image of the eye-lens the plate of glass 59 is swung out of the observing system and the second reversing prism 49 and lenses 45 and it into the observing system, the prism 49 being inserted in the previously unreversed beam 3'! so that the whole of the image of the pupil is now reversed and therefore, moves as one image. If desired, of course, the prism 35 may be removed from the observing system when it is desired to View the pupillary image instead of inserting the second prism 37 into the system.

In Figure 6 there is shown the apparatus of Figure 3 modified so that images of the retina and eye-lens may be formed in the same plane and viewed simultaneously through a single eyepiece. a I

' Lenses 29 and 28 form an imageLof the retina 31 at 21, an image of 21 is formed at 3! by lens 26, the light forming this image passing through zone of lens 52 and not lost, as would otherwise happen when examining a small pupil. The outer zone of the bifocal lens 32 which alone receives the pupillary image-forming rays, serves as field lens to direct the rays preferably through the central zones of lenses 33 and 33, these lenses together forming a further pupillary image on the outer zone of lens 40. There are thus formed at 39 substantially coplanar images of the pupil or eye-lens and the retina, and these images are viewed simultaneously in the eye-piece 40, 4|.

The lenses 5! and 52 may be regarded as bifocal lenses having central zones of zero power. It will be seen that the portions of the lenses receiving the retinal image rays lie sometimes in annular zones and sometimes in central zones; thus the systems forming images of the eye-lens and retina respectively are interlaced in inner and outer zones. If desired however, one system may be kept wholly within the inner or central zone.

An instrument may be so constructed that the pupil sighting lenses are normally in position for observation of the pupil, and are removable for observation of the retina. Alternatively the eyepiece may be normally fixed on an image of the pupil and the auxiliary lens designed to focus an image of the retina in the position normally occupied by the image of the pupil.

. In optical systems as described with reference to Figures 1-6, the pupil sighting system can be and is preferably proportioned so that the image of the target on the retina serves as a source of light for observing the pupil, which then appears in the eye-piece as a reddish coloured disc.

I claim:-

1. Apparatus for measuring refraction of the eye, comprising a projecting system for forming an image of a luminous target on the subjects retina, and an observing system comprising an eyepiece, an objective for forming an image of the retina in the field of the eyepiece and for forming simultaneously with light scattered by the retina from said image thereon an image of the pupil, a lens member between said two images having conjugate focal points in the images respectively, and a field lens for causing light from the edges of the pupil to emerge from the eyepiece.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the field lens and the lens member having conjugate focal points in the images ofthe retina and pupil respectively are mounted for motion into or out of the observing system.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the field lens and the lens member having conjugate focal points in the images of the retina and pupil respectively are fixed in the observing retina into two parts and reversing one part with respect to the other for the purpose of determining focus and a reversing reflector for re-reversing said part, whereby the two halves of the pupil are seen in the field without reversal of one with respect to the other.

RICHARD EDMUND REASON. 

